Time Goes On
by CrazyAcorn
Summary: When Jasmine moved from NewYork to London, she never expected a father...especially one like Todd. Todd/OC as father figure and OC/OC. Rated M just to be safe. Conatins rape, blood, snogging and ghosts.
1. Chapter One: Home

**CrazyA: **I just have to tell all those Sweenett fans out there, It. Ain't. Gonna. Happen. Ever. I'm sorry to say this becuase I want it to happen, too. But I know that it won't. So if you're looking for one of those stories, stop reading now.  
**Lovett: **There's always 'ope... *adorable cockney accent* Don't be so 'ard on Mister T and the readers, you'll make a bad impression.  
**CrazyA: **Oh yeah, I wrote a story... (blonde both inside and out) well ENJOY!

**Chapter One: Home  
****Greenfinch and Linnet Bird**

**Jasmine's POV-**

The grey scenery rolled by as the black taxi drove onward. From what you could see, London was as depressing as stepping on chewing gum. Joy was going on about the house you were now moving in to. It was only a temporary thing, nothing to get excited about. In fact, it was apparently ancient. You hadn't seen any photos of it, but you didn't like its description. Two storey, good views of the city…those were the only good things. There was no electricity whatsoever, so candles it was for you, dear. But you didn't really mind that, you actually liked candles. They were sort of romantic. There was basic plumbing, nothing flash. No power shower like your apartment in New York. And to top it all off, people had _died _there. In the now sealed-up basement. But that was just a rumour you had heard from one of the kids at school.

"Won't it be great?" Joy asked you. You nodded slightly and continued listening to your iPod, 'Tainted Love' by Marilyn Manson. Joy looked back to you and groaned.

"Can you get those plugs out of your ears for _once _in your life?" She hissed. Whoever had named her Joy would've got the fright of their lives if they saw her today. You turned down the volume slightly, knowing that it would be confiscated for a whole week if you didn't.

"This is it!" Joy smiled out the window. You rolled down your window and sighed. Just like you expected; grey, boring and bleak.

"They kept the neighbourhood the exact same way it was in the 1800's. They've added schools and hospitals, but nothing too modern." Joy sounded like she was reading out of a book, she probably was. You groaned as you saw a familiar face, a horrid one to be exact.

"Alex!" Joy yelled, waving out the window. You sunk back into your seat. Alex is Joy's boyfriend. They had met on an online dating site, but had only seen each other through webcam. One time, you had accidentally opened one of Joy's emails and found some mind-boggling stuff that was meant to be romantic…it was simple, online shagging. Joy decided that the two of you were going to move over to London, just to be with him. You didn't like him one little bit…

"Hey Joy, hi there Jazzy." You slammed the door shut as you got out of the car, you hated that nickname. It sounded so…sleazy…especially when it came out from his mouth. Taking your iPod out of your ears, you walked over to the moving van and started to find your suitcases. You didn't have much in the way of clothing; it could all fit in one bag. You mostly had furniture, and lots of it. There was your desk, your bed, your armchair, your bookcase and your wardrobe. When you saw it compared to Joy's stuff though, you had nothing. Your stuff was in an antique, swirled sort of design. You pulled out your armchair and started taking it up the stairs. You didn't even bother saying 'hi' to Alex, he wasn't worth it. Climbing up the steps around the house, you opened the door to your new room. Immediately, a strong sense reeled you back. Anger and sadness, rage and sorrow. It was like a ying and yang sensation that came over you. You felt like you were lost at sea, swirling in and out of waves. You felt like you wanted to lie down and cry, but you wanted to beat someone up for no reason at all. You didn't like this sensation; it was taking over your body, your mind, your soul…

"Hey girl, you okay?" a mover asked. You looked up at him and the feeling left. You nodded quickly and walked into the room, sniffing at the aged smell. The walls were painted a baby blue, but the bright color couldn't cover the old people/museum smell.

"Do you need a hand with that?" he asked, pointing at the chair that you were holding above your head. You shook your head and looked around; your whole room was already set up for you. It had taken a while for you and Joy to find a taxi, so the moving men had driven off without you. They must've used the time before you arrived to do your room first; it was very sweet of them.

"Have you done the other rooms?" you asked. The guy shook his head and gave a friendly smile as he ruffled his dark curly hair.

"We wanted to do your room first, seeing as it was the smallest. Plus," he added in a whisper. "You're a hell of a lot nicer than your mum and her bloke." You smiled at him and put the chair at your desk, which was just in front of the giant window. The advertisement _was_ right; this place had beautiful views…even though they were of dreary London.

"Go and get yourself a coffee or something, I'll take over." The friendly mover smiled at you and walked down the stairs, happy to follow your orders. He was really sweet; he looked about eighteen years old. He might be going to your school, even. You actually looked forward to having him as a friend if he was. But only when he was gone did you notice something, a red chair. It wasn't part of your furniture, all your stuff was in a blue and purple theme. You stared at it, wondering what it was doing there.

"It must be Joy's. The guy must've taken it up here and thought it was mine," you said. You heard a bed frame slam downstairs onto the floor and you jumped at the shock. You could hear Joy screaming about the movers scratching the floor. Sighing, you looked back to the chair…

…where had it gone?

It was right there, you knew it was. It was right in front of your very two eyes. But not anymore…the red seat had vanished from sight.

"I must be out of my mind," you assured yourself. You wheeled over your bag of clothes and started to unpack. Hanging each outfit lovingly in the wardrobe, you only filled up half of the closet. You could hear someone marching up the stairs outside. Turning to the door, you found Alex standing there with a box marked 'BOOKS' in broad letters. He dropped them in the doorframe and walked off. He was sweet to you in front of Joy, but once she was out he could be a right prick. You began to place each book onto a shelf, remembering the stories as you pulled each one out. Tales of Narnia, Hogwarts and the other classics filled your head with memories. After the last book was set, you scanned your eyes around the room. All was well and in its proper place. Breathing deeply, you went downstairs to see if you could help out with something. You bumped into Joy, who was red in the face with rage.

"Oh! Jasmine…did you want to go shopping? For clothes or candles or…something?" she asked. You knew this plot of hers; she would send you out with about £200 or $200 if you were back in America. Then she'd have some 'alone time' with Alex. But you were receiving cash for no apparent reason **and **you were avoiding Alex, so you were willing to do this for her.

"Yeah, okay…" you replied casually. Joy looked through her wallet and handed you a handful of notes. You smiled at her and walked off as fast as possible. Looking around you, each house seemed to be part of the same bleak parade. As you walked down the empty streets you managed to find the local chippy and a take-away Thai restaurant. Ever so British, you thought in your head. There wasn't much in the way of shops, just little antique stores that didn't really catch your eye. However, there was a dark magic and fantasy store; you might check that out later for candles. But there was one with bright red curtains hanging in the doorframe and gold lettering on the window. _Mr Winter's Antiques and Nick-Knacks_ it read. You could hear chirping coming from inside and it lured you in with its magic charms. The song was coming from a bird that was sitting in a sliver cage on the shop counter. It had a price tag on it for £10, a reasonable price for such a sweet bird. The shop keeper looked up at you and then smiled at the bird.

"I found it in the attic a couple of days ago," he sighed and his wrinkly eyes smiled. "He seems to like you!" The bird was happily singing to you, sitting on his bowl of bird seed. You smiled at him and picked up the price tag, sometimes your glasses didn't exactly work.

"So ten pounds for the bird?" you asked. You didn't want to make any mistakes with your eyesight.

"Yep," the shop keeper replied. You handed him a note and he opened up the old-fashioned cash register. Looking back at the window, you smiled with thought.

"Why '_Mr Winter'_?" you asked.

"My father was an icy old coot; he used to own the shop. Back then it was named '_Mr Steven's Antiques and Knick-Knacks'_. But when he died, I turned it into Winter's," the shop keeper explained. You nodded and lifted the cage off the counter.

"I hope that I'll see you more often," he smiled one last time at you. You smiled back as he went upstairs, probably using the bathroom. As you began to walk out of the shop, you stopped dead in your tracks. You could sense something powerful coming from nearby. Looking around, you saw a small black box. It was sitting on the far side of the room on a tiny chest of drawers. It didn't have a price tag on it and it was surrounded by the shadows of the room. You walked over to it slowly, almost afraid of it. You couldn't describe what you felt when you came closer to it, it was the same feeling that you had before in your room. Only this was more rage and anger instead of sadness. You slowly opened the lid, gasping at what you found inside. Two, sharp, shaving knives. They rested in red velvet cloth and shone in the light from an old lamp nearby. You reached out to touch them and recoiled.

"I don't need them," you whispered. You tried to move away, but something made you stay with the precious blades. _Take them,_ something in your head whispered. You shook your head and tried to get rid of the thought. But it remained there, never to be silenced.

"I don't even _want_ them!" you whispered to no one. _The old bat isn't here; this is your chance to get them! _It kept commanding. Your hand reached out, but you put them in fists and pulled them by your side.

"I'm not stealing anything. I've got Benjamin, and he's all I need," you assured your mind. But suddenly, your hands whipped out and grabbed the box. Before you could do anything, you had the shoved the black chest into your dark trench coat's pocket. You grabbed Benjamin's cage and ran out of the shop, causing the frightened bird to tweet with fright and shock. You ran down the street and turned the corner, only stopping for breath then. Why you had done it, you didn't know. Why you wanted them, you didn't know either. But once you had the little black box in your hands, pure ecstasy and relief came over you. It was like you had discovered the meaning of life, or found the city of Atlantis. You walked down the street as fast as possible, wanting to never go in that shop again. When you finally came back home, you ran up the stairs and into your room. You fell onto the soft doona, resting your head on the pillow. You put Benjamin on your bedside table, where he began to sing merrily as he perched on a swinging bar. The soft tune made you sigh with relief as you lay on your bed. You soon realised that you were going to have to buy some bird seed and toys for him. But that was later, this was now. You could hear Joy groaning with Alex downstairs, they were so loud that it was scary. You wished that you had gone out for longer…but then again, you'd have to face it sometime later. You and Joy were only living here temporarily, and then you'd move in with Alex after about two months or so. This place was only a short stop so that you could get used to this part of London. Life was going to be a living hell…

"Oh Benjamin…" you sighed. "How can you keep singing?" You watched him happily tweet his tune, envious at his abilities.

"You've lived in a cage nearly all your life, how can you just _sing_? You could fly away, out into the open sky. I wish I could…but I can't. If I can't fly, then teach me how to sing," you said. But then it came to you, you were talking to a bird. This place was really starting to drive you insane. And that's when you remembered the blades. Pulling the box out of your jacket, you opened it and smiled at the shining glories. They glowed in the sunlight, almost smiling. But what were you to do with them? You had to hide them from Joy; if she saw them then she'd freak and become convinced that you're suicidal. You looked over at your desk near the window; you could hide it somewhere there. Walking over to it, you decided that it would be too easy to find if you hid them in a drawer. But _under_ the desk…that was a different story altogether. You knocked on the floorboards, trying to find a hollow space. You heard the empty noise and pulled away at the floor, it was just big enough to hide the box. You took a last look at the blades, picking one up in your fingers and putting it in the bright sunlight. You suddenly felt a sharp pain run through the middle of your palm and warm, acid-like liquid fell through your hands.

"Crap," you muttered. You were bleeding. The red drops of blood trickled down you arm, which you wiped onto your jacket sleeve. You quickly put the stained knife back in the box and hid it in the floorboards. Placing the wood back over the top, you ran to your closet. Pulling out your oldest scarf, you wrapped it tightly around your palm. Joy must never know about this, you thought. You looked through the window, smiling slightly. The sun would soon set, and it would become night. Sunrise, sunset. A new day will dawn, and your new life would begin.

"Welcome to Fleet Street…"


	2. Chapter Two: Bringing Him Back

**CrazyA: **I'm not that sure if I got Todd's character right...If you, reader, don't think I have then please leave a nice critique. Enjoy!

**Chapter Two: Bringing Him Back  
****My Friends**

**Todd's POV-**

Darkness…

Darkness…

Darkness…

It just stayed there, forever holding you. You didn't know how long it would stay there, but most likely for a long time. You couldn't feel anything except this aching emptiness where your heart should be. You had been here for what seemed like years. You waited for a light. For a sound. For anything at all…but nothing had come. But you saw it, over in the distance, a tiny speck of hope and life. You could hear something, someone. You didn't move though, for you knew that it would fade away eventually. But it stayed there, the fixed light. It wasn't much, around the size of a pebble. You walked forward, slowly and carefully. Death had you in the palm of its hand for so long that you never thought that you would be free again…

"Jasmine!" Someone called out from the light. It was a loud voice that echoed in the pit you were in. It was the only voice that you had heard since you died. The voice kept calling, but no one answered. You heard someone running up the wooden stairs that were once yours. You heard the front door opening and a woman groaning at something.

"Can you at least answer when I call your name?" she yelled at someone. You couldn't see anything, but you could certainly hear her.

"What is it?" someone answered her. It must be Jasmine, you thought. But you recognised that voice from somewhere…you couldn't remember where, though. You heard the other woman groan with exhaustion. The light was becoming slightly bigger. You sense the feeling of somewhere familiar. Your old shop, it was still standing even after you had left it.

"Dinner's ready, we're having pies. Can you come and join us?" the woman asked. You didn't want to see another pie for a very long time…You could hear her groan at something and she stormed back downstairs, shouting at Jasmine as she went.

"At least _try_ to be nice!" she yelled. The door slammed behind her. What were these people doing in your house? Your _property_? You needed answers…and that's why you walked into the shining light. A misty fog surrounded your body, and you could feel the warmth that was once life…

**Jasmine's POV-**

You were happily listening to your iPod and lying on your soft bed. You had some crackers next to you whenever you got hungry. Any crumbs that you spilt you would put them in Benjamin's food tray. It was wonderful and blissful…until Joy came crashing through your bedroom door.

"Can you at least answer when I call your name?" she groaned. You must've had the volume turned up, a simple mistake that you often did. But Joy was too dramatic for life and she had to make everything seem like your fault.

"What is it?" you replied casually. She frowned at you and sighed.

"Dinner's ready, we're having pies. Can you come and join us?" Joy tried to sound casual, but the frown lines were obvious. Another obvious thing was the word 'us'. Alex would be there, too. You shook your head and looked back at your book. Joy groaned and stormed downstairs.

"At least _try_ to be nice!" she yelled, slamming the door behind her. You shook your head and smiled at Benjamin, he was happily munching on his birdseed.

"Only three hours ago did we move in and she's already causing a fuss," you sighed and carried on reading. The music boomed in your ears, but that didn't distract you from reading your new _Twilight _book. You had barely started reading again when you felt something, a cold and burning hatred and anger.

"What are you doing here?" someone asked. You looked around; you could still hear them even though the volume was nearly up full blast on your iPod. There, in the doorway, was a tall and dark figure. His eyes glowed in the darkness that surrounded him. You paused your song and slammed your book shut. You could swear that Joy had shut the door, but you didn't bother with that for now. You sat up and looked at the stranger; surely it was Alex in a costume.

"Look buddy, just because I'm not coming to dinner doesn't mean that you can barge into my room like this!" You spat at him. He walked over to you, his pale face lit up in the lights coming from all your candles. Whoever it was, it wasn't Alex. His black hair had a long, white streak running through it.

"Who are you?" you asked him. You suddenly recognised his face and chuckled.

"I know that I live in a house that has the same name as Sweeney Todd's, but that doesn't mean that it's the actual thing. So sir, can you please leave before I get Joy up here?" you asked politely. The person kept staring at you; his cold eyes seemed to burn into your soul.

"Get out!" he whispered to you. You watched him, what was he doing?

"It's _my_ room!" You yelled back.

"GET OUT!" He yelled, storming over to you. You stood your ground, but your knees shook like earthquakes. He kept walking to you, a burning intensity in his stride. And he walked…

…_through_ you…leaving a cold feeling inside your heart. You gasped as he fazed through your entire body and even through the wall. You looked down at your body; your clothes were splattered with blood. You screamed and looked madly around the room.

"What's happening?" you whispered. You could hear someone running up the stairs and you sat on your bed and you perched on the edge of your single bed, prepared for him this time. But the door opened and you saw Joy, with a face as red as hell.

"For God sake!" she yelled at you. You covered up the blood on your clothes, but she wasn't angry about that.

"Alex and I are trying to have a nice evening meal while you sit up here and screech your head off!"

"But Joy, I have good reasons! A man was in here, a _ghost!_ He came and he yelled and he walked right through my body and through the wall! And look!" You said, stretching out your arms. But there were no blood splatters, just ordinary jeans and a t-shirt. What had happened to you? Maybe you did just dream it all…Joy just shook her head and walked out, muttering under her breath. You had to find out what was going on, and you had to find out soon…

Walking to the fantasy store, you rethought possible explanations for what happened last night. A dream, fumes, something other than a ghost of Sweeney Todd. You looked up and read the round, hanging shop sign. _'Not Fiction, Fantasy'_ it read. You could smell incense burning as you walked inside, a musky scent that seemed to boost your confidence.

"Like it? It's a calming stick," a voice said. "I light one on the night before an exam." You looked around to see a girl standing at the shop counter, her dark pig tails were jaggedly cut and had acid green streaks. She smiled at you and waved you in.

"I'm Christina," she gagged as she said her name. "But I prefer being called Acid." You smiled at her and nodded.

"It suits you. I'm Jasmine," you replied. Acid grinned and leaned on the black counter-top. You didn't know if she was making fun of your name or smiling with you.

"Can I call you Jazz?" she asked. You nodded, it sounded cooler than Jasmine but not as sleazy as Jazzy. She grinned even more and sat up, her eyes bright with fun.

"So what are you here for? Novels are over there," she pointed to a spot in the corner where a group of vampire-fans were laughing.

"No, I'm currently reading _Twilight._ I'll stick with that for now…but have you got anything to get rid of poltergeists?" you asked. Acid looked at you in surprise.

"I didn't expect someone like you to need anything like that…no offence or anything," she quickly added. She took your hand and pulled you into a sealed-off room. It was filled with candles, dusty books and charms. You liked it in here; it was less tacky than outside.

"In here is the real stuff, outside is just for show…" she explained. Eyeing you up and down, she leaned on the wall opposite you and suddenly smiled.

"Are you that girl who moved into the house on Fleet Street?" she asked. You nodded and she squealed.

"Wow! What's it like? Oh god," she covered her mouth in shock. "Are you being haunted by…_him_?" Acid asked. You nodded again and her green eyes went huge.

"It was frightening…" you whispered. Remembering his face gave you the shivers. "I was so scared…can we not talk about it?" You asked her. Surprisingly, Acid nodded and pretended to zip her lips.

"I understand," she whispered back. "I don't know what to give you, though. He's such a hurt spirit that I'm worried he could hurt _you_ if he's in an angry form. Have you got anything that he might be interested in?" She asked. You shook your head; you didn't want to tell her about the knives. But she found out anyway, she saw the scarf that was wrapped around your hand. She didn't say anything, though. But the look in her eyes was all you needed. She pulled down two tall, red candles.

"This might work…Apparently they're charmed with something…I don't know what, though." She handed them to you and you got out your wallet. She shook her head quickly and you slowly put it back.

"On the house," she said.

"Why?" you asked her.

"Because, Jazz…we're friends." You smiled at her and walked out, giving a little wave as you left.

The time was 10:00pm and you had the candles set out. In fact, you had lots of candles set out. You need them to see what you were doing. You crouched in the middle of your bedroom floor and looked around. Was there anything you had to do? Did you have to have a mirror and do the whole 'Bloody Mary' thing? Benjamin chirped, making you jump out of your skin.

"BEN! Don't do that..." you whispered to him. You looked around the room, waiting for something to happen. But the room stayed dark, the only movement came from the flickering candle lights. Joy had gone to bed ages ago, so you couldn't get any help if something happened to you. You crawled under your desk, lifting the floorboards away. Pulling out the black case, you put it in the middle of the two red candles.

"Todd, I know you're there somewhere…just come out and get them…" you whispered. Scanning your eyes around the room, you didn't move an inch. Every time Benjamin chirped, you would jump. It was half past and there was absolutely no sign of Todd. You gave up and blew the candles out, sighing with frustration. You held the box in your lap, opening the lid and looking at the blades once more.

"Let me see them," you heard him say. You looked above to find Todd standing in front of you. He crouched down in front of you, his hand reaching out to the knives. You brought them to him, placing the box just in front of him. He gently picked one up, lightly tracing the design and unfolding it.

"My friends," he whispered. "You've been locked away for so long…just like me…" It shone in his dark eyes, but he frowned when he saw the other one.

"What happened to it?" he asked. There was dried blood, your blood, stained on the blade. You sighed and unwrapped the scarf that was tied around your hand. You showed him the deep cut, dried blood was speckled around it. Todd traced the mark it left on you, his warm and ghostly fingers made your skin tingle. He looked into your big blue eyes and smiled slightly.

"Thankyou," he whispered. Things just got more confusing than ever before…

"What for? I understand about the knives…but really, what did I do?" You asked him.

"You brought me back. With blood I went, with blood I came," he replied. You looked down at your hand, puzzled but reassured. There was still a lot that had to be explained. You looked up again to find him standing up with his arm outstretched. The knife in his hand was shining in the moonlight.

"At last, my arm is complete again." You observed his face in the darkness. He had a smile on his face, one that you couldn't trust. You could read his thoughts, ones that were too dark to describe.

"No, you're not doing this." He looked at you oddly, slightly startled by your voice.

"I'm your friend too, Mister Todd. I won't let you destroy yourself all over again. You've come home…but that doesn't mean that you can kill any more people," you whispered. "Please, Mister Todd…" You didn't know how strong you had said it, but it must have had some effect on him. For he faded away into the dark, leaving behind the shining blade.


	3. Chapter Three: Todd's Story

**CrazyA: **Warning: There will be blood...lots of it...Enjoy!

**Chapter Three: Todd's Story  
****No Place like London**

Sitting down at the table with Acid, you looked around the lunch room. It wasn't that much different from New York. She looked up at you and smiled her usual cheeky smile.

"So, how's school going for you so far?" she asked. You groaned and rested your head on the table.

"I'm already in trouble with the teachers. In English I spelt 'colour' wrong, I spelt it without a 'u'. But that's how I'm used to spelling it, so I thought that she'd let it pass over. But she started screaming and telling me off, so of course I had to argue back."

"Because that's what Americans do!" Acid interrupted. You laughed at her and she laughed with you. She suddenly lowered her voice, looking at you from under her eyelashes.

"Speaking of anger and frustration…how's T-O-D-D?" She whispered. You shrugged and stared at your fatty chips.

"I've talked to him, not a full conversation, but a talk. He seems to be fine, not pure joyfulness but fine." You answered her eventually. "I think I maybe even argued with him." Acid's eyes went huge, like saucers.

"Did you give him the blades?" she asked. You nodded; you eventually had to tell her about them. She got it out of you by annoying you like crazy on the way to school.

"But he couldn't take them with him when he…left," you explained. "Have _you_ ever seen a ghost before?" Acid sighed and looked away from you, a few tears in her eyes.

"Yes," she said simply. "It was my grandfather, but he was so different from when he was alive. He was yelling at me, full on screaming. We eventually had to bring in a priest to get rid of him…" Acid sniffed her nose and looked back at you, a smile on her face.

"That's why I didn't want to you to get hurt when you told me about Todd," she finished her chips and started on yours. You didn't mind, you didn't seem to be hungry lately. For the rest of the day, you were as quiet as a mouse. Acid was kind of sweet in that crazy sort of way. It was a shame what had happened to her. Walking home from school, you could see a familiar face in your bedroom window.

"Todd…" you whispered. You didn't really expect a ghost to come out during the middle of the day. You walked quickly up the stairs into your room, closing the door quietly behind you.

"Hello there," you greeted. He kept staring out of the window, looking at nowhere in particular.

"Are you alright?" you asked him. He shook his head slowly, a definite 'no'.

"I need answers," he said. You walked over to him, sitting down in your blue cushioned chair.

"Ask me anything you want, I'll do my best to answer them." You looked up at Todd; he was standing above you and leaning on the desk behind him.

"What year is it?" he asked.

"2008, you've been dead for at least two hundred years."

"Does everyone know about my past?"

"No, _some_ people believe that you were a real person and they're trying to find evidence that you existed. But all they've got are simple fairy tales…" you explained. "That's really the only way that people _can _know about you."

*Author's Note- I'm basing this in a world where Tim Burton hasn't made the movie and the play hasn't been produced. So if you were confused about it, don't panic*

Todd paced the floors, confused by what you were saying. It was very hard to explain, so it must have been challenging to understand it all. You felt so awful for him; you wished that you could tell him something to assure him. But nothing was coming to your mind.

"So no one knows what happened to Johanna?" he asked. You looked up at him, surprised at the name.

"Who's Johanna?" you asked. That should answer his question…he stopped pacing the floor and looked at you. It was the first time he had since last night.

"My daughter," he said. You heart broke immediately. He had a life and he had destroyed it by murdering his customers. That was how you had pictured him, which was how everyone knew his story. There was nothing ever said about his daughter…

"What was she like?" you asked. You looked down at the floorboards, knowing that you'd cry if you looked into his empty brown eyes.

"I don't know, I never saw her as a grown woman. I only knew her as my little girl," he answered. It was a wonder that your heart was still working; you felt it completely break into little pieces.

"I always pictured her to look like Lucy. With yellow hair and eyes as blue as the sky," he continued. If he had tears in his eyes, then he was very good at pulling them back.

"Lucy…" you whispered. "Your wife?"

"Yes."

"From the way the story tells it, it sounds like you were married to Mrs Lovett." You could tell from the energy in the room that this was not the best thing to say. He looked at you, his eyes aflame with hatred.

"What?" he whispered. You looked into his eyes, gulping down your fears. Ripples of anger came from him; they would turn into tsunamis if you said anymore. But you had to explain, even if it would make him angry.

"Mrs Lovett was always said to be your assistant. You'd murder your customers and she'd make them into pies. But there was nothing said about why you did this. Or about Johanna. Or Lucy. So a lot of people just assumed that you were her husband and the two of you were completely psycho," you whispered. Blood splattered on the window and all along the walls. Your blood, from Todd's knife. But you quickly felt at your neck, there was no mark. No scratch cut or slice. It was one of Todd's ghostly tricks, and it chilled you to the bone. You looked over to him; blood was splattered all over his clothing. Just like it was on the very first night you had seen him.

"Mrs Lovett… is a _liar_!" he shouted at you. You straightened up in your chair, never before had he been this angry. You didn't know what was so bad about her, but you knew that it was probably best to keep quiet and let Todd calm down on his own.

"She told me that my wife had died, when really she was a lost and deranged woman on the streets!" He yelled. Blood trickled from the ceiling and into cracks in the floorboards. You gasped as some fell into your honey-blonde hair. Even though it was a trick, you still had tears running quietly down your cheeks.

"And I killed her! With my own knife I murdered her!" He kept yelling. "It's _my_ fault that she's **dead**!" The walls around you turned red as the blood fell from the cracked corners of the ceiling. You jumped off your chair and ran to Todd, holding onto his hand.

"Please, Todd! Stop it!" You screamed. "This is getting too scary, so just please stop!" He looked down at you and saw your tear-stained face. He relaxed his tense body and the room turned to its normal baby-blue color. (Yep, that's color without a 'u'.) Letting go of his hand, you took off your glasses and wiped away the mist from the lenses. When you looked back up at Todd, he was staring into your blue eyes.

"You are young, life has been kind to you…" he said. You shook your head slowly and sat on the edge of your bed; he would never understand your past. And you would never understand his…

"I'm sorry," he whispered. You put your head in your hands.

"It's fine. Everyone loses control of their emotions at one point in their life," you replied. The silence floated between the two of you.

"Do you have any more questions?" you asked. He stared at your face, almost as if he was trying to read your mind.

"What is your mother's name?" he asked. You sat up in alarm. Of all the questions to ask, he asked this one.

"Joy isn't my mother; I never had one and never will." Todd kept silent, but you could tell that he wanted more information.

"I was abandoned in an orphanage in New York. I don't know who my real parents are. Joy adopted me as her own when I was twelve years old, but I never really got to know her. We moved over here so that she could be with her boyfriend, Alex. We're staying here for two months so that we can get used to London and then we're moving into his home." You watched his expression, but it never changed. He wasn't even looking at you; he was just observing the scenery outside through your window.

"So what about you? Before you were Sweeney Todd, you must have been someone else." He kept looking out of your window, but he still answered your question.

"I was Benjamin Barker, a barber with a loving wife and child. I lived and worked in this very house. Lucy was the most beautiful wife that any man could have." You pitied his loss. But there was still something that was in the air, something that you had to ask. You didn't dare say anything, but he somehow managed to see inside your mind.

"A man named Turpin also saw her beauty, and using his powers as a judge he sentenced me to a life in prison for a crime that I didn't even commit. When I was released early, I came back to find that he had taken my daughter as his own and had forced my own wife to…" He quickly glanced at your face and sealed his lips. "People just stood around her and laughed, they thought she was daft to fall for his tricks." You felt a tear fall onto your lap, but you didn't do or say anything.

"So you vowed to kill each and every person in London, just to avenge her death." More tears fell, softly dripping onto your jeans. "Did you end up killing the judge?" you asked. Todd nodded; even though it was horrible and against God to commit murder, you still smiled at his success.

"If I were you, I would have bathed in his blood." You smiled and walked over to your secret hiding spot. Pulling out the black box, you gently lifted up one of the blades.

"Where would the rest of them have gone?" Todd asked. You shrugged your shoulders and kept staring at the shining murder weapons.

"Anywhere. They could have gone to a collector, in a museum…anywhere at all," you said.

"How did you manage to find them?" he asked, taking the knife off of you.

"I found them in a nearby antique shop…"

"How much were they?"

"I didn't exactly buy them…" you muttered. He put the knife back, a frown on his face.

"Why did you take them?" he asked.

"I don't even know," you looked up at him. "There was just…something…and it kept telling me to get them. So in order to stop it, I had to do as it said." Just then, the door swung open suddenly and Joy burst in.

"I heard you scream a few minutes ago, are you okay?" She asked. You nodded, praying that Todd had vanished. No such luck, he was still standing beside you.

"Okay…good…" she suddenly saw the two knives lying on the table.

"What the hell are those?" she yelled, pointing at them. You shut the box lid quickly and looked blankly at her.

"What are what?" You asked.

"Those knives!" Joy screamed, pointing at the box.

"Joy, this is a jewellery box. What are you talking about?" You yelled back. Your plot worked, she just quickly walked back downstairs while muttering something about needing sleep. As soon as she left, you turned to Todd.

"I have a question for you." He looked down at you and raised his eyebrows.

"How come I can see you when Joy can't?"


	4. Chapter Four: Possessed

**CrazyA:** Rape isn't good...and Jasmine has to get to know that fact for herself

**Chapter Four: Possessed  
****Pretty Women**

**Todd's POV-**

Jasmine sat down on her bed, an open notebook in her lap. Standing above her, you watched her begin to write down the list of facts she knew.

"When I cut my palm on your knife, the blood made you come back as a ghost." She wrote it down as she spoke, not looking at you. Why she was doing this, you didn't know. The two of you already knew what had happened so far, you didn't have to write it all down.

"But only I can see you... why is that?" she asked. Wasn't it obvious?

"Probably because it was your blood," you replied. She wasn't very bright…your tone of voice must have hinted that.

"Don't think that I'm thick, Todd. It's just…I'm not exactly doing this sort of thing every day," she replied. She still wasn't looking at you, just staring down at the page. She did have a point… it wasn't every day that you came back from the dead. You stared at her, pointing out all her tiny details. The smoothness of her chin, her big blue eyes and dark lashes, her honey-gold locks that fell softly down her face… she was like a porcelain doll. Except for her choice in clothing, you still weren't used to the fact that women were wearing denim pants instead of corsets and dresses.

"You really shouldn't stare at people like that," Jasmine said suddenly. She still wasn't looking from her book, but she knew you were watching her anyway.

"I know that I can't see you, but I can still feel your eyes. They're…cold," she described them simply. She finally looked at you; her eyes were bluer than you remembered. You looked away, refusing to re-think what you had been thinking nearly every night since you started to get to know her.

"I think there's something important about you specifically, Jasmine." You still looked away as you spoke.

"What is it then?" she asked. You couldn't tell her, it would be too much of a shock.

"…nothing," you whispered. She sat up and started walking out the door.

"Where are you going?" you asked. She turned around, looking at you over her shoulder.

"I haven't had anything to eat all day and I'm _starving. _I'm just going downstairs to get something," she smiled at you sweetly. She walked out and down the stairs, not saying another word. You exhaled, relieved that she was gone. Walking to her desk, you sat on it and looked out the window. This was once your house, your neighbourhood. But so much time had gone by…and everything had slipped right out from between your fingers. Your wife, your business…but not Johanna….

…for she was right here with you now.

Jasmine was Johanna, you were certain of it. Her face, her eyes…it just seemed to be exactly what you thought of Johanna as. You could never tell Jasmine what you thought, she would be incredibly shocked. But you could just keep it to yourself, a quiet thought that would never properly exist. You looked around the room, sighing quietly at every memory. You could feel Lucy beside you, her warming smile lighting up the sun itself. You turned around to see baby Johanna in her arms, who was smiling and looking up at you.

"Look Benjamin, it's our baby girl. Isn't she adorable?" Lucy cooed. You smiled at your wife, happy to have her again. The striped yellow wallpaper matched her positive attitude. She ran her hand through your brown hair, her smile growing into a happy grin. Johanna laughed at the two of you, making you face her.

"Hello," you said to her. She gurgled happily, looking up into your eyes. The same blue eyes that Jasmine shared with her… and everything vanished. The room, your wife and child, everything returned to the present time. Lucy's smile had disappeared and Johanna was gone without a trace. But you remembered. You remembered Jasmine's smile. The same one that Johanna had. A tiny, shy smile that was warm enough to light a candle. You sighed and looked over to Jasmine's blue patchwork bed. You remembered instantly her face and comparing it to Johanna's…

…there was nothing different to it…

**Jasmine's POV-**

Pouring the baked beans into the saucepan, you licked the dripping tomato sauce on your finger. You smiled to yourself as you turned up the heat on the stove top. But you frowned as you saw a familiar face open up the door.

"Oh, hi Jasmine." It was Alex, probably wanting to see Joy.

"Joy's not here, she's out at work." You glared at him, staring right into his green eyes. "Hope I didn't disappoint you or anything."

"No, I actually wanted to see you," he said. You raised your eyebrows, this was a first. You sat on top of the kitchen table, resting casually as the beans started cooking.

"What do you want?" you asked him.

"I'm breaking up with Joy," he said. You gasped, why was he telling you this? And why was he telling _you_ first? You might hate Joy, but you were still angry with him.

"Why? Joy loves you so much!" you exclaimed. "She moved all the way from America to be with you!" You felt so frustrated with him; he was certainly not making your day any easier.

"I still have more to say," he whispered. You shut your mouth, but that didn't mean you stopped being angry with him.

"I'm breaking up with Joy because I've lost interest in her. She was fun, but she's making this relationship a..._forever_ thing by the looks of it. Jasmine, I was never really in love with her…" he didn't show any expressions of regret. In fact, he was smiling. How could he say that it wasn't going to be forever? He'd made Joy believe that they were moving in with him.

"How can you just sit there with a smug smile on your face? Don't you even _care_ about Joy?" you yelled. He smile grew bigger as he walked closer to you. You started to become nervous, what was he doing?

"I only care about you, Jasmine. I was only in love with you…" he said. Your eyes became as big as saucepans, completely confused. There were so many things wrong with this issue that you couldn't even begin to list them. Your jaw dropped in shock; you could feel it crash through the floor and to the centre of the Earth. Your heart pounded in your chest as he watched your expression. You looked around the room, praying for someone to wake you from this nightmare. This couldn't be happening. This is just…too horrible.

"Jasmine? Are you okay?" he asked. You coughed and breathed deeply. You tried to list the good parts of Alex…he had quite nice hair. Jagged brown hair with too much hair gel in it…no, that wasn't good at all. There was nothing attractive, good or romantic at all about Alex. You had to tell him that you weren't interested, but you had to put it gently.

"Alex, I'm flattered but…I can't love you back." You were at a good start, weren't you? He was looking at you blankly, showing no expression at all. His smile had faded away, but the flicker and gleam hadn't left his eyes.

"There's just...age difference... and the fact that Joy is still madly and deeply in love with you. I don't love you, Alex. I'm sorry," you said slowly. He nodded as long silent moment lifting in between the two of you. He came closer to you, his face only inches away from yours.

"You may not love me…" he whispered. His hand clasped itself around your throat and he pulled you down from the table. You gasped for a breath, but you couldn't let any air into your system. His large, firm fingers clasped tighter around your neck, making you cry out in pain.

"…but that doesn't mean that I won't love you." He whispered into your ear. His hot breath on your neck made you sweat as the room began to spin.

"Please…" you gasped as his lips firmly planted against yours. The stubble on his chin scratched your pale cheek bones, like sand paper. Tears ran down your face, they felt like hot acid. Alex's two green eyes beamed into yours and he wiped the tears away.

"Don't cry, my love." He was insane. Why was he doing this to you? His mouth slipped down to your neck, his tongue messily squirming over your fragile body. Oh god, what was happening? His hand slipped away from your neck and it started tear apart your tank-top. The elastic strap snapped in two, leaving it loose enough for his hand to slide under and roughly caress your body. Wait…

…his hand had left your neck…

"TODD!" You screamed on the top of your lungs. Alex looked up at you; his hand quickly clasped your mouth. He smiled evilly, a glint of pleasure rushed through his face. You sighed, giving up all hope. Todd wouldn't be able to do anything to help you. He was just a ghost, he couldn't _hurt_ Alex let alone make Alex _see_ him. You felt Alex's hand suddenly squeeze your breast, chuckling. You gasped at his cold hands. It was like he was trying to milk a cow or something. You heard him unzip his fly and he began to reach for yours…

"GET OFF OF HER!" You heard someone yell. And then, things went very, very black. A whole mist of darkness surrounded your body; you couldn't do anything to stop it. It was like something had taking over your body…

"…Todd," you whispered. Your mind went dark; you couldn't see anything except for Alex. He was looking at you like he had seen his death. Maybe he had…you didn't know. You couldn't really take anything in; you could only focus on this new feeling. It was the one you had felt when you had first entered your room. You wanted to scream at everyone. You wanted to lie down and cry your eyes out. You wanted…you wanted…

…you wanted to hold Johanna in your arms and cry. You wanted to see your wife again, to kiss her yellow curls of hair and hold her close to your body. But the only thing you could see was a man, Judge Turpin, standing on the end of your tunnel to happiness. He smiled to himself, and you saw him with the woman you had loved all your life. She was crying, soft and silent tears running down her face as he pulled her close to him. This burning hatred grew inside of you, and you lashed out at no one at all. You threw your arms around in the darkness, blood swiftly falling down from every cut you made. You looked at your hands to find the two shaving blades that Todd owned, in your own hands. You saw Lucy lying on the ground, blood spilling from her neck. What had you done? This wave of sadness washed over you and the tide pulled you into the darkest of seas. You reached out to touch Lucy, but you just kept growing further apart from her. Looking around, you found Johanna sitting in a bird cage. Her wings were broken and she was looking around in the darkness, calling out for help. Her sad bird song echoed in the darkness, making you cry with her. You then saw Alex, the darkness had lifted and you found him on the floor, looking up at you with blood running down his face.

"Off! Off with you!" you screamed. But it wasn't your voice, it was Todd's. His voice came from your lips.

"Don't ever come back near my daughter, or I swear…it'll be the last day you live!" He yelled at him. Alex scrambled to his feet and ran out the door, bolting down the street. You suddenly fell to the floor, your head crashing onto the floorboards. You heard glass break, your glasses. You turned onto your back, looking up to the ceiling. Todd was standing above you, his eyes alive with anger. He was staring out the door, watching Alex run off to his apartment.

"Todd...how can you sleep at night?" you asked him. You sat up, your whole body shaking with fear and relief. You didn't care about what just happened to you, you just worried about Todd.

"I saw the most horrible things...I heard Johanna cry out with fear but I couldn't reach her. I saw Lucy cry silent tears but I couldn't even move. I felt her blood run through my fingers…I was so confused…but you see this every day. You saw it your whole life and yet you could still live through it all," you cried. He looked down at you, a tear in his eye. He crouched down beside you, pulling you close to him.

"It's okay…" he whispered. You heard his heart beat; you felt his warm hands hold you in his arms. You looked up into his eyes, he was someone else entirely. His black hair had turned into short brown curls. His cheeks were coloured and his brown eyes had life in them.

"What do I do?" you asked him, resting your head on his shoulder. He stroked your hair, kissing your forehead lightly.

"Don't worry…"

"Dad?" you whispered. He looked down at you, his eyes on the brink with tears.

"I think I'm your daughter…" you whispered to him. You cried with him, letting out so much stress that it was a wonder you were still in one piece.


	5. Chapter Five: Identity

**Chapter Five: Identity**

It had been five days since the incident with Alex and you hadn't seen Todd since that last day. But you knew that he wasn't gone completely. When you were trying to fall asleep at night, you occasionally felt someone's presence in the room. Sitting down on the brick wall beside Acid, you smiled at her new hair streaks and punk-rock outfit.

"So we're blue today?" you asked her. She nodded, giving an evil grin that she shared with you often. You suddenly noticed someone on the other side of the school, the moving-guy from your first day in London. You liked his sense of style; it was neater and simpler than the rest of the boys at the school. They all wore the same clothes: baggy pants, baggy shirts and scuffed shoes. Some went _really _original and wore a sideways cap, wow. Someone please fetch you a bowl for your sarcasm. Anyway, he was wearing a blue jumper and white pants with old and worn-out sneakers. He was rather cute once he was out of his uniform...Acid saw that you were looking at him and her smile grew as she pinched your cheeks.

"Aww...someone has a crush!" she squealed in a girly way that would never really be her. "I know that guy... I can ask him over if you want me to!"

"No it's fine, really!"

"Too late, Jazz! ANDREW!! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!" She yelled at him. You felt your face flush a bright pink as the guy came over with a smile on his face. So his name was Andrew? It sort of suited him.

"Hey, sis!" He walked over to Acid and kissed her dyed hair, picking her up in his arms and spinning her around the place. She squealed and kicked, making you laugh with her. They did sort of look alike in a way; same cheeky smile, same bright eyes and the same sort of hair. Even though he was rather thin, he seemed to have some strength. Plus, Acid was rather short and thin herself. He dropped her back beside you, studying your face.

"Haven't I seen you from somewhere before?" he asked.

"You helped move the stuff in my room," you answered. He smiled and nodded his head as the memories came back. Acid looked at you from one to the other, her eyebrows raised.

"Wait, you guys know each other already?" she asked you. She turned to her brother, a smile on her face. "And who would've thought that you could actually meet hot girls in Dad's business?" Your face went a bright pink as you blushed at her comments.

"So_ you're _Jasmine? Christine's told me a whole heap about you..." he said. Acid punched him in the arm at the mention of her proper name, but he laughed and scruffed her hair like she didn't do anything at all. You liked him, he was rather sweet. Plus he was different from most guys. So far most of the boys in your classes had teased you about moving into a haunted house (they didn't know about Todd, but any idiot would take one look at your house and say that it was haunted). Andrew bent over so that he was eye-to-eye with you.

"...and about your little ghost problem," he whispered. You sharply turned to Acid, who was whistling a random tune and looking up at the clouds as if she were actually innocent. She saw your face and smiled sheepishly, her face turning red.

"Well I couldn't keep a secret as big as that all to myself!" she said. "Don't worry, Jazz-girl. Andrew's the best secret-keeper ever. You should see him around Christmas time! _And_ he's the only other person who actually _knows_ about Mister T's past!" You felt slightly reassured about the whole situation, even if it was a quick lie made by your only friend.

"So what's he been doing lately?" Andrew asked you. You sighed and shrugged your shoulders.

"I haven't seen him around the place recently. But the last time we saw each other...I was sure that...I was his daughter." Andrew and Acid's eyes went wide. Just like you, they had never read or heard about Todd having a daughter. But after a lot of explaining, they suddenly understood the story.

"Wow..." Andrew said simply. There really was no other way to put it. Acid had a few tears in her eyes, but she didn't move them away. Probably so that her mascara would make an awesome gothic effect on her cheeks.

"So...you think that you're the reincarnation of Johanna or something?" Andrew asked. You shrugged your shoulders, not knowing what to think at all. Acid snapped out of her teary moment and looked at you with bright eyes. She had the usual mischievous gleam inside of them, but this time it was brighter than usual.

"This calls for some research!" she cried out. "Ask your mother about your family history and we'll see where it all dates back to!"

"Um...Acid? I'm an orphan," you reminded her. Her smile faded away and she sighed, knowing that it'll take a lot more effort than before in order to figure out your past.

"Why don't you call up your old orphanarium then? Surely the people there might know something about your parents," Andrew suggested. You smiled at him; he was a lot smarter than you or Acid.

"I'll do that." Acid was grinning at the two of you, her cat-like teeth practically glowing. You could see the mischievous clockwork in her mind tick away like crazy. You had only known her for a few days, but you had her all worked out.

"I know that face, Christine. I'm not falling for your best friend," Andrew said. Acid looked at him, her eyes filled with fake innocence.

"Oh please, brother-of-mine. Why would I be thinking such things? Even though you two are constantly staring at each other _and_ keeping secret meetings from me _and_ the fact that Jazz here is one of the sweetest girls in the world..." you looked at Acid, eyebrow raised. She chuckled and scruffed your blonde curls.

"Don't worry; I haven't gone suddenly gay on you!" The three of you laughed as if you had known each other throughout your whole lives. It was good to have such nice friends around you. You dialled the orphanarium's number on your mobile, waiting patiently for the information you needed. You still had it on your mobile just in case you needed to get to them. You paced the pathway, eagerly waiting for someone to answer your call. When someone finally picked up, you were happy to hear a familiar voice.

"Jasmine? Is that you?" she asked when you said your greetings. It was Rebecca, one of the women who worked there part-time. You liked her over all the other staff members, you actually cried when you first left her.

"Hi there! I was just wondering if you have any information on my real parents. Do you?" You heard Rebecca sigh as she thought the question through.

"I think we may have some hidden files locked away," she said. "I'll check. Why do you need it, sweetie? You could've asked something during your stay here." You were actually just too shy to say anything...it seemed weird to suddenly ask something about your past to random strangers who knew nearly nothing about you.

"I just...I don't know. I just thought that before I start a new life I should know about my old one." It seemed to be the best lie you could come up with, but you weren't sure if Rebecca would accept it. Surprisingly, she did.

"Of course! Well, I'll start searching for that info! Bye Jasmine, I'll call you back when I find it!" You hung up and turned to your patient friends.

"Rebecca's looking for some information now, she'll call later." You turned to Andrew; he had a smug-like smile on his face. You smiled back at him, happy to be using a good idea.

"You're welcome," he said simply. You really did like him...he was kind of sweet, but not in a gay way. Acid smiled at the two of you, making you blush slightly. It felt like she was trying to play Cupid, and it was almost working...suddenly, your phone started to ring. Wow, it mustn't have been too hard to find information about you.

"Jasmine, its Rebecca. Listen, I couldn't find anything about your father. In fact, I don't even know his _name._"

"Okay, what about my mom?"

"Her name was Elizabeth Dawning; she was researching these old articles called 'the Penny Dreadfuls'. Anyway, have you ever heard of them?"

"Uh...not really...Do you have a picture of her? Why did she leave me?"

"Um...she was blonde, blue eyes...I think she died in a car accident. I remember seeing her death in an article somewhere."

"Oh...okay. Listen, I have to...I have to go."

"I understand sweetie. Bye," she hung up, leaving you with the phone pressed against your cheek. You were still dazed from the conversation, so you only hung up about thirty seconds after she did. Acid jumped up beside you, her eyes filled with worries and fears. She put her arm around your back and rubbed your shoulder in a comforting way.

"Are you alright, Jazz? What did she say?" Andrew asked you quickly. You stared into space, not completely at it all.

"My mom...she was blonde, too. Blue eyes and everything...but, what scares me most is that...Todd...he had said that his daughter was blonde, too." you whispered. "It's more than a coincidence, I know it is." The silence that the three of you had held together seemed to be on surround-speakers.

"We have to get to a computer, fast."

*******

"Okay, Elizabeth...Dawning..." Andrew said as she typed in the name. After a lot of explaining from Acid, you discovered that he was hacking into the files of New York's government. Not exactly the best thing to do in a school's computer lab, but there was no one else using them because they were all in class. You were sort of nervous about skipping a whole period, but Acid made you feel a bit better when she said that the teachers don't really notice a missing person. She was currently on another computer and searching 'penny dreadfuls' into Google. She had found some information on Wikipedia and was scanning it all for keywords. You, on the other hand, were simply watching the two of them with fascination.

"I found something!" Acid cried out. "Penny Dreadfuls were old British publications that were usually read by teenagers who had just started work."

"Cool," you replied. It wasn't really helpful, just interesting.

"But get this; one of the most popular stories was called _The String of Pearls: A Romance._ And guess who was first introduced in it?" You didn't need to guess, it was quite obvious who it would be. Reading over her shoulder, you found Todd's name staring back at you in the blue typing. Clicking on the link, you read the summarisation. Lies, lies and more lies. You knew the real truth straight from his mouth. Johanna was his daughter, not a random girl in London. But looking through all the mentions of Todd throughout history, you realised that he was more famous than you thought he was. He was mentioned in one of Dickens' books! But even _then_ it didn't mention about a wife and child. He was always thought of as either a mere fairy-tale or a monster. You looked over to Andrew; he was standing right next to you. Your faces were almost touching; you were just that close to him. You blushed...not being this close to a guy before (besides Alex, but you were forced into being that close). He turned to face you, his nose bumping against yours. He quickly turned back to his computer; you followed behind him and watched over his shoulder. He didn't look around to your face, but you could see that the sides of his face had turned a bit pink.

"Found anything?" you asked.

"Oh yes indeed. Acid's information confirms it all now...She wasn't researching the Penny Dreadfuls...she was researching _Todd._" Your heart did a somersault inside of you; you had to sit down on a swivel-chair in order to get a good grip on it all. You stared at the floor, fixated on nothing in particular. Elizabeth...she knew about Todd?

"But...how? I mean...not many people know about him, right?"

"I know...it says that she had occasionally called herself Elizabeth Barker instead of Dawning," Andrew answered. Acid turned on her chair, looking at the two of you with great interest now.

"Wasn't that Todd's original name?" You nodded a short reply. "Why though?"

"Apparently she had done some family research of her own...she found all these missing links and discovered that she was related to a murderer from Fleet Street...a barber to be precise." Andrew sure was smart, being able to collect this much information in one day could have taken weeks for you. You couldn't take this all in; you were still struggling with the fact that your mother was researching Todd. And...

"So why did she continue the research? She had all the information there, didn't she?" Acid asked.

"When she showed it to some historians, they thought that the evidence wasn't good enough. She did more research on him after that with a group of fellow believers." He looked over at you, a slight smile on his face. But his lips curled downwards when he saw your teary eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked you. "You know who you are now! Aren't you happy?" He hadn't seen what you had. Your eyes had scrolled down the page...you had seen her cause of death. Andrew and Acid looked at the screen, eyes wide when they saw what you had seen. Acid turned to you and hugged you tightly.

"I'm so sorry..." she whispered. You sobbed into her shoulders, frustrated and upset by what you had read.

"Rebecca said that she died in a car accident...but she never said that it was suicide. Why did this have to happen?" you sobbed even louder. Your head was pounding and your heart felt like it would fall from your mouth. This pain...you haven't cried this hard in all your life. The historians...her fellow believers...even Todd...they all drove her to the brink of insanity... You weren't angry at them, you were just upset that she had made that final decision. If she hadn't died, then you would be with her right now. Andrew came next to you, standing above the two of you. He had a slight smile on his face, trying to remain cheerful in such a hopeless situation.

"Think of it this way, Jasmine...you now know the truth...you really are his daughter." You looked into his eye, finding only honesty and compassion. And from that moment on, you knew two different things that warmed your whole body.

One: Todd really was your father  
...and two...

...you had fallen in love with your best friend's brother.

**CrazyA: **So cute! In case you're wondering how she could be in a suicidal car accident, she walked straight onto a busy highway without giving a second thought. I always picture Andrew to look like Christian Bale (Batman, dumbie)...so if you're having troubles picturing him then go ahead and think of him like that


	6. Chapter Six: Moving

**Chapter Six: Moving**

You practically skipped your way home from school, filled with joy and happiness and Disney-goodness. You had met a boy...a _decent _one...and you had found out about your family history. Well, _Todd's_ family history...or future...it was rather difficult to find a name for it. If he died before the family line started, then it would be in his future. But because it was _your_ family's past then it would be a history...anyway, what mattered was that some part of you still had Todd's blood running through your veins. And that fact alone was better than any boy...even though Andrew was rather handsome. When you walked through the front door and into the kitchen, you found Joy with a smile on her face, too. She was dancing around the kitchen, making chocolate biscuits. This was a bad sign to you...the last time she had actually _cooked_ an after-school snack for you, you found out that you were moving to the other side of the world. Besides, if Joy was smiling then that meant you would soon frown.

"What's up with you?" you asked grouchily, preparing yourself for the horrible news. She kept smiling away, humming a jolly tune to herself.

"Hello? Earth to Joy?" you asked, waving your hands under her face as she mixed the ingredients together. "What are you so happy about?" She finally looked at you, her eyes bright and happy.

"I just wanted to make biscuits, that's all!" You looked at her, eyebrows raised. She was lying, you could tell. But you didn't want to spoil her mood, she might suddenly snap into dragon-mode. Plus, you were starving...you ran your finger in the mixture, licking your lips. Joy smiled at you, happy to see that you were happy with her. It had actually been a long time since the two of you had been happy at the same time in the same room.

"So what happened at school today?" she asked. You shrugged, not really able to describe the whole Todd-thing to her. Plus, if she found out that you were hacking into government files then she would be royally peeved. But you could tell her one thing...

"I've met someone...someone nice," you said. Her eyes lit up, you had never really mentioned the subject of boys or dating to her. Her smile grew as she put the tray into the oven, wiping flour off of her blouse.

"What's he like?"

"He's...I don't know," you answered. It was lacking details, but oh well. There wasn't really any way to describe Andrew. He was just _Andrew_. Caring, understanding, gorgeous...Andrew.

"So anyway, why are you so cheery?" you asked, your spirits lifted by thinking of your close friend. Joy grinned, but didn't say anything.

"I'll tell you at dinner," she replied. You made something up about homework and waltzed out of the kitchen, heading towards the stairs. You had to check to see if Todd was there...you had to tell him about what you had found out. You were a bit worried about what he would make of it...but the happiness you had inside of you pushed all other feelings out. You opened the door, expecting to see the dark figure standing in the middle of the room...

"Todd?" you called out to the empty room. No one replied except for Benjamin, who was merrily singing you a greeting. You smiled at him and sat on your bed, confused and slightly worried about him...where do ghosts go in their spare time? Do they haunt other people? You felt slightly hurt by his disappearance...like he didn't like you anymore. You knew that he loved you...but was it all in your head? A silent tear went down your cheek as you softly cried out for his name one last time...

**Todd's POV-**

Walking the streets of London, the sun shined straight through you. You passed by strangely dressed adolescents, their bleach-white faces even paler than yours. People were walking with cords plugged into their ears or talking to small brick-like objects pressed against their cheeks. This new age was weird and strange...you were thankful that they couldn't see you, for then they wouldn't see the confused expression on your face. You had been walking for days now...sometimes going back to Jasmine while she was asleep or while she was at school. Your mind had been a mess ever since the day that bastard had attacked her. You still didn't understand how you had done it...but when you were inside her body, you had complete control over Jasmine. Ah, Jasmine...you loved her so much. She had made your heart beat again, something that it didn't do even while you were alive. You sat on the steps of a shop, pausing for a breath that you didn't need. Not because you had been walking through London non-stop, but because you had so much on your mind that you had to think it all through. Jasmine is like the daughter that you never got to experience...the day that you had her in your arms...when she cried out all her fears and worries...the day you had saved her from that monster...when she had called you 'Dad'. Just thinking about her sweet face again lifted your heart. You sat there, perfectly still as you thought fondly of her...smiling to yourself. The world whizzed by you, not knowing of your existence. You looked down the street, signing a sign pointing for Fleet Street. You stood back up and followed it, heading back home as the stars slowly came out from their hiding places in the sky.

**Jasmine's POV-**

Coming back downstairs for dinner, you had your eyes bloodshot with tears. You missed Todd...you were worried sick about him. You took a final sniff and opened the door, finding a certain someone looking back at you. Someone who you hated with all your might...someone who was smiling up at you like he hadn't assaulted you five days ago.

"Hey, Jazzy. How was school?" Alex said brightly. You glared at him, letting him know that he wasn't allowed to be in the same room as you without a nosebleed.

"Get the f*** away from me," you growled. He surprisingly backed off a bit, retreating to his chair at the end of the table and trying to seem casual.

"Have you told-"

"No, I haven't told Joy. I've decided to show mercy towards animals," you snapped at him. He smirked and turned to the door where Joy was now entering with a large dish of pasta. There was a big smile on her face that was stretched nearly up to her ears; she was obviously in a good mood.

"Let's eat!" she chirped as she sat down between the two of you. You glared at Alex from across the table, but smiled brightly at Joy. You didn't want to make her unhappy again, not when she had 'big news' to tell you. You served yourself some spag bol and salad, beginning this torture and wishing that it would end nicely. You all ate in silence, not wishing to disturb the peace. Winding the pasta strings around your fork, you looked over to Alex occasionally. He somehow found it possible to eat with a straight face. Finally, Joy put down her fork and turned to you, her smile growing.

"Jasmine, I know that you've found it hard to when it comes to moving houses..." she started. You dropped your fork in shock...you knew that this day would come soon enough...but it had only been about two _weeks_, not two _months_ like you had originally planned.

"But we've decided that we should move straight away into Alex's house. You said that you didn't want to live in such a...primitive house anyway, so I know that you'll jump right into it." You turned to Joy, your mouth dropping down to the floor. Was she really that blind? Couldn't she see even without knowing about your little incident with him that you loathed Alex with all your heart? And Todd...poor Todd. You'd probably never see him again...you couldn't take anymore of this.

"I'm not moving with you," you replied quietly. Joy looked at you, her eyebrows pinching as she cocked her head to the left slightly in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

"I said _I'm not moving_!" you suddenly yelled. She reared back as if you had slapped her in the face. Her eyes filled with rage for a minute, but she pushed it all aside.

"I know that you don't like moving, Jasmine, but please...we knew this day would come. And you'd get your own computer!"

"I don't care about a f***ing computer! I don't want to be living in a house with _him!_" You yelled, pointing at Alex. Joy stood up, glaring at you.

"Don't you dare speak about Alex like that!"

"He tried to _rape_ me, Joy!" you screamed. She slapped you across the face, the pain making angry tears roll down your red cheek. You looked at her, furious at both of the adults present in the room.

"Don't lie to me, Jasmine! I'm sick of you saying horrible things about Alex!"

"It's the truth! I swear!" you glared at Alex, tears falling from your chin to the table. "_Tell her, damn it_!" He shook his head, pretending that it was all a lie. He looked at Joy, his brown eyes innocent with lies.

"I think she's just got her period..." he whispered. The f***ing bastard! How could he say that with a straight face? You glared at him, your face turning red. Looking back to Joy, her face was crumbling as she grabbed your wrist and dragged you out of the room. The two of you stood in the kitchen, Alex listening in from the dining room.

"How could you do this to us?" Joy shouted at you.

"What do you mean, '_us'_?" you yelled back.

"The two of us were so happy this afternoon, why did you suddenly start saying all these lies?"

"THEY'RE NOT LIES, DAMN IT!!" Never before have you been this angry before. Even when Todd possessed you, nothing could top this emotion and burning inside your heart.

"Why do you hate Alex so? He's a sweetheart, he wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"Maybe around _you_, Joy. But he _assaulted_ me and tried to get in my pants!"

"_**Jasmine, stop it!!"**_ Joy yelled, still not understanding the truth. You were silent as Joy sniffed back her tears. The whole world was silent for a moment, if a pin dropped then it would sound like an atomic blast. Joy looked into your bloodshot eyes; hers were stained with the red veins too.

"Jasmine...if you really have to...stay here." You looked at her, worn out from all your screaming and crying. You stood there, speechless, as she walked slowly towards you and rested your hands on your shoulders.

"I don't want you anymore if you're going to behave like this..."

"Then consider me an orphan." You shrugged her off and stormed out, not saying another word to Alex or her. You walked up the stairs and sharply opened the door, slamming it behind you. You groaned and fell onto your bed, your face lying in the pillow. You sobbed, furious and deeply hurt by the commotion downstairs. You wanted Todd so badly...you wanted anyone at all to just come and hold you in their arms, telling you it'll be alright. You turned to your side, facing the wall. Your whole body ached...you felt so exhausted. Just as you thought that no one could hear you, you felt the familiar haunting sensation wash over you. The dark shadows consumed you, making you smile.

"So you're back?" you said to Todd. He formed himself in front of you, his dark eyes staring. You smiled at him, understanding why you had missed him so much. He lay beside you, the two of you staring at one another.

"Where did you go?" you managed to ask. Todd didn't reply or do anything at all. He just kept staring into your mind, the sad and dark eyes pulling you closer towards him.

"I missed you." He smiled slightly as you said this, but it was quickly hidden away again.

"I heard your argument with Joy," he finally said. The tears came to your eyes again at the memory, but you pushed them back. You didn't want to spoil this moment.

"Are you sure that you can take care of yourself?" he asked.

"I have a friend who works at a store," you replied. "If I ask, she might be able to give me some money for groceries. And if I run out of food I can always go to her family for help...they seem to like me." Todd smiled and placed his cold hand on your cheek, making you slowly close your eyes. You missed the way it felt to have someone care for your pain...your mind suddenly turned to Andrew. Should you tell Todd about him? Maybe...but how would he react to the whole 'boyfriend' thing? How would he react to the whole 'daughter' thing?

"I did some research..." you whispered, opening your eyes again. "And apparently...I really _am_ your daughter..." Todd's eyes grew slightly larger, but he didn't say anything. "Well, great-great-grand-daughter." The tears started pouring from your eyes, running down the side of your face. You saw some tears in his eyes, but he hid these away as quickly as they had come.

"I knew all along..." he whispered back. The two of you stayed there for what seemed like years, remaining perfectly still in time.

**CrazyA: **I think the title goes pretty well with the story...not just the whole 'WE'RE MOVING HOUSE' thing, but also the movement in the story. Like Jazz running up the stairs, Todd walking down the street and finally the ultimate-fluff moment where its the complete opposite and they lie beside each other, 'perfectly still in time'. I nearly cried when I wrote it! I'm a very emotional person. I realized that I was a right ass to the readers, so I decided to post on the next chappie before I leave for my Xmas holiday in Europe (squeal!). Have a good Christmas, guys! ^^


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